Date setting device of a calendar watch

ABSTRACT

The winding and setting stem of a calendar watch has a pushed-in winding position and a pulled-out time setting position. In the pushed-in position, rotation of the stem is transmitted by a crown wheel which moves for one direction of rotation into a barrel-winding position and for the opposite direction of rotation into a position in which it drives a heart to advance a date-ring step-by-step. A sprung hammer tends to keep the heart in a disengaged position and prevents unwanted setting of the date.

United States Patent Gerber et al.

DATE SETTING DEVICE OF A CALENDAR WATCH Inventors: Jean-Pierre Gerbr, La Chaux de Fonds; Jean-Daniel Leimgruber, Le Locle, both of Switzerland Assignee: Zenith Time S.A., Switzerland Filed: Nov. 13, 1974 Appl. No.: 523,520

Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 7. 1973 Switzerland 17182/73 US. Cl. 58/58 Int. Cl. G04B 19/24 Field of Search 58/4, 5, 58

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Saito 58/58 X Dec. 2, 1975 Primary E.\'uminerGe0rge H. Miller, Jr. Attorney, Agent, 0! Firn1Robert E. Burns; Emmanuel J. Lobato; Bruce L. Adams [57] ABSTRACT The winding and setting stem of a calendar watch has a pushed-in winding position and a pulled-out time setting position. In the pushed-in position. rotation of the stem is transmitted by a crown wheel which moves for one direction of rotation into a barrel-winding position and for the opposite direction of rotation into a position in which it drives a heart to advance a datering step-by-step. A sprung hammer tends to keep the heart in a disengaged position and prevents unwanted setting of the date.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 1 of4 3,922,846

Sheet 2 of 4 US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 3 of 4 3,922,846

U.S. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 4 of4 3,922,846

DATE SETTING DEVICE OF A CALENDAR WATCH I BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The invention relates 'to'watclies, and is particularly I concerned with devices for setting the date indication of a calendar watch by rotation of a-winding and setting stem. I

An object of the invention is thus to imp'rovea dateindicating'watch of the "type including a rotatable winding and setting stem having at 'least'two distinct axial positions including ap'ushed-in winding position and a pulled-out time setting position, a=winding train, and a date ring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The improvement provided by the invention comprises means for operatively connecting the stem in said pushed-in position to the winding train in response to rotation of the stern in one direction and to the date ring in response to rotation of the stem in the opposite direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The device shown in the drawing is intended for the rapid setting of date indications carried by a date-ring 1 (FIGS. 3 and 4) by the rotation of a winding stem 2 in the direction opposite to that for winding. As schematically shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the stem 2 drives a winding pinion 3 which in turn drives a crown wheel 4. The crown wheel 4 is mounted on a non-circular hub 5 provided integral with and upstanding from bridge 9 and on which crown wheel 4 may be laterally displaced and turn. The hub 5 has a smooth lateral surface formed by two similar circular segments 5a and 5b whose radii are equal to the radius of a circular opening 4a of crown wheel 4.

When the stem 2 is turned in the direction of arrow A (FIG. 1) which is that for Winding, the opening 4a of wheel 4 bears on segment 5a of the hub 5 and in laterally displaced into driving engagement with a ratchet wheel 6 which is mounted on a square of arbor 6a of a winding barrel (not shown), whereby the barrel spring is wound.

When the stem 2 is turned in the direction of arrow B (FIG. 2), i.e., opposite to the direction for winding, the wheel 4 driven by winding pinion 3 leaves Wheel 6 and is laterally displaced into driving engagement with a date correcting pinion 7, the opening 4a of wheel 4 bearing on the segment 5b of hub 5.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the date setting mecha nism includes a shaft 8 pivotally mounted between bottom plate 10 and bridge 9; the pinion 7 is mounted on asquare at one end of shaft 8 and is held by a screw 11. At the other end of shaft 8 is fixed acorrector 12 having a lug 13 which, upon rotationof the shaft 8 by one turnydrives a toothla of the date-ring 1 by one step. As shown, the'corrector 12 preferably has the form of a heart which, under the effect of a sprung hammer l4, normally holds the lug 13 in an inoperative position out of the trajectory of the teeth la of date-ring l. This sprung hammer 14 also obliges the user to'exert a fairly considerable force to carry o ut'setting of the date, so that setting of the date cannot take place unintention- 1 The date-indicating calendar watch incorporating the described devicemay be provided with a winding stem 2 having two axial positions, a pushed-in one for'winding and setting of the date, and apulled-out one for setting of the time. It may also be provided with a winding stem having three axial positions: a pushed-in winding and date setting position, an intermediate position, and a pulled-out time-setting position, the intermediate position being reserved for the setting of a supplementary member, such as a day-star, an indicator for the time of ringing of an alarm, of a device for setting an hour hand in steps of one hour, upon a change of time zone, for example.

The described embodiment may be conceived differently. For example, the crown wheel 4 could be fixed against lateral displacement and simultaneously mesh with wheels 6 and 7 which act via respective one-way driving means such as inverted breguets, to drive the barrel arbor when the stem is turned in the winding direction and the date-rin g when it is turned in the opposite direction.

The described device is simple and enables an easy setting of the date with a two-position winding stem. This is specially advantageous in an automatically wound watch where the necessity of manually winding is extremely rare.

What is claimed is:

l. A date-indicating watch comprising;

a rotatable winding and setting stern having at least two distinct axial positions including a pushed-in position and a pulled-out position;

a winding train;

a date ring; a date-setting wheel connected with the date ring to set the same;

a rotatable crown wheel operatively connected with the stem for rotation in a direction corresponding to the direction of rotation of the stem; and

means for operatively connecting the stem by the crown wheel, in said pushed-in position of the stem, to the winding train in response to rotation of the stem in said one direction and to the datesetting wheel in response to rotation of the stem in the opposite direction, comprising means for mounting the crown wheel for lateral displacement to a first position meshing with the winding train in response to rotation of the crown wheel in said one direction and to a second position meshing with the date-setting wheel in response to rotation of the crown wheel in the opposite direction, said mounting means including a hub having two opposite like circular segments defined by intersecting circles of given radius, and said crown wheel having an inner circular bearing surface whose radius is equal to said given radius, said bearing surface selectively bearing against said segments according to the direction of rotation of the crown wheel.

2. A date-indicating watch, comprising;

a rotatable winding and setting stem having at least two distinct axial positions including a pushed-in position and a pulled-out position;

a winding train;

a date-setting wheel;

means, comprising a rotatable crown wheel, for operatively connecting the stem in said pushed-in position to the winding train in response to rotation of the stem in one direction and to the date-setting wheel in response to rotation of the stem in the opposite direction, the crown wheel being mounted to selectively occupy a first position for meshing with the winding train in response to rotation of the crown wheel in said one direction and in a second position for meshing with the date-setting wheel in response to rotation of the crown wheel in the opposite direction;

a date ring having teeth to drive it;

a heart driven by the date-setting wheel and carrying a lug cooperating with the teeth of said date ring to advance the date ring by one tooth in response to a rotation of the heart; and

a sprung hammer actn g on the heart to bias it towards an inoperative position with said lug disengaged from said teeth of the date ring and to oppose rotation of the heart in said opposite direction of the stem when in said pushed-in position to prevent unwanted setting of the date. 

1. A date-indicating watch comprising; a rotatable winding and setting stem having at least two distinct axial positions including a pushed-in position and a pulled-out position; a winding train; a date ring; a date-setting wheel connected with the date ring to set the same; a rotatable crown wheel operatively connected with the stem for rotation in a direction corresponding to the direction of rotation of the stem; and means for operatively connecting the stem by the crown wheel, in said pushed-in position of the stem, to the winding train in response to rotation of the stem in said one direction and to the date-setting wheel in response to rotation of the stem in the opposite direction, comprising means for mounting the crown wheel for lateral displacement to a first position meshing with the winding train in response to rotation of the crown wheel in said one direction and to a second position meshing with the date-setting wheel in response to rotation of the crown wheel in the opposite direction, said mounting means including a hub having two opposite like circular segments defined by intersecting circles of given radius, and said crown wheel having an inner circular bearing surface whose radius is equal to said given radius, said bearing surface selectively bearing against said segments according to the direction of rotation of the crown wheel.
 2. A date-indicating watch, comprising; a rotatable winding and setting stem having at least two distinct axial positions including a pushed-in position and a pulled-out position; a winding train; a date-setting wheel; means, comprising a rotatable crown wheel, for operatively connecting the stem in said pushed-in position to the winding train in response to rotation of the stem in one direction and to the date-setting wheel in response to rotation of the stem in the opposite direction, the crown wheel being mounted to selectively occupy a first position for meshing with the winding train in response to rotation of the crown wheel in said one direction and in a second position for meshing with the date-setting wheel in response to rotation of the crown wheel iN the opposite direction; a date ring having teeth to drive it; a heart driven by the date-setting wheel and carrying a lug cooperating with the teeth of said date ring to advance the date ring by one tooth in response to a rotation of the heart; and a sprung hammer actng on the heart to bias it towards an inoperative position with said lug disengaged from said teeth of the date ring and to oppose rotation of the heart in said opposite direction of the stem when in said pushed-in position to prevent unwanted setting of the date. 